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 Khayat in 1972 | |||||||||
| No. 87, 74, 73 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | End Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1935-09-14)September 14, 1935 Moss Point, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | December 6, 2024(2024-12-06) (aged 89) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Moss Point | ||||||||
| College | Millsaps (1953) Perkinston JC (1954) Tulane (1955-1956) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1957: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||
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Operations | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL/AFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season | NFL: 8–15–2 (.360) AFL: 23–29 (.442) | ||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||
Edward Michel Khayat (September 14, 1935 – December 6, 2024) was an American professionalfootball player and coach in theNational Football League (NFL). He spent 10 years as a player (117 game total) and 25 as a coach. He was a startingdefensive tackle for the championPhiladelphia Eagles in the1960 NFL Championship Game and later their head coach in1971 and1972. He is a member of six Halls of Fame. He also served on the Former Players Board of Directors of theNational Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
Khayat attendedMoss Point High School inMoss Point, Mississippi, from 1949 to 1953, where he lettered in football (2), basketball (3), and baseball (3).
In 1953, Khayat attendedMillsaps College, where he lettered in football and basketball. In 1954, he won the Mississippi Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (novice class).
Also in 1954, he won a scholarship to Perkinston Junior College (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College), where he lettered in football and basketball.
In 1955, he was awarded a scholarship toTulane University where he lettered in football (2) and baseball (1). He was elected to the All-TimeTulane Green Wave football team in 1979 and the Tulane Green Wave football All-Century Team in 1993.
In 1957, he was signed as a free agent by theWashington Redskins. His playing career spanned ten years until his retirement after the 1966 season with theBoston Patriots. The bulk of his career was spent with thePhiladelphia Eagles, where he was the startingdefensive tackle for the 1960 World Championship team.
After his retirement from playing, Khayat began his twenty-five-year career in theNational Football League as a coach. In 1967, he became the first defensive line coach for the expansionNew Orleans Saints, where he coached future Hall of FamerDoug Atkins. In his next stop with the Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1972), he was named Head Coach three games (afterJerry Williams was fired) into the season and rallied the team to a 6-4-1 finish. In an interesting sidelight, he imposed a draconian hair and dress code on the Eagles players during his stint with the Eagles, leading to widespread resentment, including linebackerTim Rossovich demanding, and getting, a trade (to the San Diego Chargers). In the run-up to the team's November 26, 1972, game against the New York Giants, Khayat "guaranteed" that the Eagles would win the game, despite the fact that the Eagles were a 14-point underdog. The Giants won the game 62-10, and it was widely believed that this sealed his fate in Philadelphia. Three weeks later, after a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals meant that the Eagles finished last in the NFC East, Khayat was fired the next day.
Khayat coachedhall of famerClaude Humphrey, (who later played for the Eagles) during his stint as an assistant coach with theAtlanta Falcons (1975–1976). He was also the defensive line coach for the AFC East ChampionBaltimore Colts (1977), the AFC ChampionNew England Patriots (1985) and the AFC East Champion New England Patriots (1986).
In 1991, Khayat added coaching in theArena Football League to his résumé when he became the head coach of theNew Orleans Night. In 1997, he took the helm of theNashville Kats and led them to a 10–4 record. It was only the second time to date that an expansion team had hosted a play-off. He was honored as Arena Football Coach of the Year for guiding the team to a division championship. He retired after the 2003 season as head coach of theCarolina Cobras.
Born to a Lebanese-American family, Khayat was the first Arab-American head coach in NFL history.[1] His family attended aMethodist church where they sat in the back due to racial discrimination. He and his brother, former Pro Bowl kickerRobert Khayat, played together for theWashington Redskins, and are one of only a few sets of brothers together on the same team. They are both members of theMississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Khayat was the recipient of the NFL's Alumni Achievement Award, theNational Football Foundation Distinguished American Award, and was the Chancellor Emeritus of theUniversity of Mississippi from 1995 to 2009.
Khayat's sonBill Khayat is a former Honorable Mention All-Americatight end atDuke University and, as of 2025, is the head football coach atBrevard College.
In 1988, Khayat continued his long association withSpecial Olympics when he and formerPhiladelphia Eagles teammateGeorge Tarasovic co-founded a celebrity golf tournament for the benefit ofYork County (PA)Special Olympics. Since its inception, the tournament, which was renamed in their honor in 2015, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of the county'sSpecial Olympics programs.
Khayat died inNashville, Tennessee, on December 6, 2024, at the age of 89.[2]
| Hall Of Fame | Year Inducted | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Alumni Hall of Fame | 1975 | [3] |
| Tulane University Athletic Hall of Fame | 1981 | [4] |
| York Area Sports Hall of Fame | 1992 | [5][6] |
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Athletics Hall of Fame | 2003 | [7] |
| Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame | 2004 | [8] |
| Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (as member of 1960 Philadelphia Eagles) | 2006 | [9] |
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| PHI | 1971 | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| PHI | 1972 | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| PHI total | 8 | 15 | 2 | .354 | – | – | – | – | ||
| NFL total[10] | 8 | 15 | 2 | .354 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 8 | 15 | 2 | .354 | – | – | – | – | ||